In the application to which the present invention is particularly directed, entertainment special effects lighting, high intensity light to simulate lightning, for example, was initially produced by drawing an arc between carbon electrodes connected in a high voltage DC circuit. With the advent of high intensity lamps, such as xenon lamps, drive circuits were developed to drive these lamps in a pulsed mode to produce bursts of high intensity simulating lightning bolts. As exemplified by Pringle et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,150,012, such drive circuits have been AC drive circuits. To achieve pulsed operation, high power AC switches, such as triacs, are required. Triacs, while capable of handling the high levels of voltage and current involved, are notorious radiators of EMI (electromagnetic interference), which raises havoc with any associated electronic equipment. Triacs also produce undesirable AC waveform distortion.